One Red Sox star who was expected to pitch in next month’s World Baseball Classic won’t be participating after all.
Closer Aroldis Chapman was expected to pitch for Great Britain but instead will be left off that nation’s roster due to eligibility issues, sources confirmed Tuesday. According to a source with knowledge of the process, Chapman’s documentation “did not meet the blood lineage requirements” to pitch in the tournament. In the past, WBC rules have allowed players to participate for a nation if they are a citizen or permanent legal resident of that nation, were born in that nation or a territory, have at least one parent who was born or is a citizen of that nation or present evidence that suggests he would be granted citizenship or a passport in that nation.
As The Athletic’s Stephen Nesbitt reported in December, Chapman was expected to be eligible “through heritage through British overseas territories with his family” because his “paternal grandparents emigrated to Cuba from Jamaica, which was a British colony until 1962.” Instead, his case was denied.
The door is shut for Chapman to pitch in the WBC, a source said, with the United States also not an option at this juncture.
The news of Chapman’s exclusion comes at a time when the Red Sox and other teams throughout baseball attempt to finalize plans regarding which players will play in the tournament, which begins March 5. Insurance-related issues have wreaked havoc on the plans of players, MLB teams and national teams alike, with stringent requirements causing so much frustration that Puerto Rico threatened to withdraw from the tournament earlier in the week. Rosters are set to be revealed Thursday night on MLB Network but insurance and eligibility issues have put things in limbo for most clubs and federations.
MLB teams, including the Red Sox, are operating with a general idea of which of their players will participate but even players who have been announced as participants may still be ruled out. At this point, Boston expects many key contributors to play but is working under the assumption that things can change quickly. Players must clear insurance and eligibility standards and then be selected by the federations to final rosters.
The Red Sox still expect starter Brayan Bello (Dominican Republic), outfielders Wilyer Abreu (Venezuela), Jarren Duran (Mexico) and Ceddanne Rafaela (Netherlands), relievers Jovani Morán (Puerto Rico) and Greg Weissert (Italy) to be on WBC rosters. Setup man Garrett Whitlock committed to Team USA in November and is going through the process of finalizing his spot on the team now, sources said. Starter Ranger Suárez (Venezuela) is considered likely to pitch for Venezuela and has been cleared to play.
The Red Sox believe outfielder/designated hitter Masataka Yoshida (Japan) will also participate, though things could change there. He has been cleared to play and faces no insurance-related issues, even after an injury-shortened 2025. Team Japan has not signaled yet if Yoshida will be on its final roster.
First baseman Willson Contreras is hopeful to play for Venezuela, though his status will remain “to be determined” until after spring training starts next week. Utility man Nate Eaton has emerged as an option for Great Britain, too, according to a source, with his final status still up in the air.
In total, the Red Sox could have up to 11 members of their 40-man roster in the tournament. Chapman is not one of them, joining Marcelo Mayer (Mexico) and Carlos Narváez (Venezuela) as players who expressed interest but will instead stay in camp with the Red Sox. Other key players like Roman Anthony, Garrett Crochet, Trevor Story, Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo will not participate, either.
Francys Romero first reported the Chapman news.
